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Additive technologies are expected to revolutionize manufacturing across almost every industry, but there is a sizable gap between the current state of the technology and the maturity required for it to achieve widespread adoption. Advanced analytics are required to improve the reliability and repeatability of additive manufacturing, and those analytics require data. Large volumes of multimodal data are generated and used throughout the additive manufacturing lifecycle, from material design to part design and simulation, part printing to post-processing and inspection. To capture and link that diverse Big Data together, we have designed and developed a federated multimodal Big Data storage and analytics platform comprised of three tiers—a distributed polyglot data storage and analysis tier with different repositories for different data structures, a metadata knowledge graph tier for modeling the data and their relationships across the various repositories, and a user interface tier for visualizing, exploring and invoking analytics on the data. The platform has been used to integrate a collection of previously disparate steps to optimize the process parameters used to build a new additive material, enabling materials scientists and other non-software experts to capture, visualize and analyze the requisite data through a single user interface.

Justin John Gandy, Ilze Laurens, Jacques Rene Snyman Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa Introduction: Abundant anecdotal evidence for products claiming to reduce veisalgia after alcohol overindulgence are available on the Internet and as many advertisements in journals. None of these claims are, however, substantiated by research. The aim of this research was to ascertain the validity of such claims for the substance Absorbatox™, a potentiated aluminosilicate (cation exchanger able to bind NH4+, histamine, and other positively charged ions) by investigating the signs and symptoms, as well as blood or breath alcohol levels, in healthy volunteers. Methods: Blood or breath alcohol levels were measured in all volunteers in initial controlled experiments, and symptoms were scored on a diary card for gastrointestinal tract symptoms, as well as other symptoms such as headache and light sensitivity. Eighteen volunteers completed the initial blood alcohol study, which investigated the effect of Absorbatox™ on blood alcohol levels after fasting. The follow-up studies researched the effects of the symptoms and signs of alcohol overindulgence. The “night out” study was completed by ten volunteers in a typical controlled environment, which was followed by the real-life four-leg crossover study. In the crossover study, volunteers (number =25 completers) had to fill matching diary cards to containers of two placebo and two active drugs after a night out where they themselves decided on the container (color coded) to be used and the amount of alcohol to be consumed. Results: Absorbatox™ had no effect on blood alcohol levels, but it significantly reduced the symptoms and signs of veisalgia by approximately 40%–50%. Conclusion: This research indicates that Absorbatox™ does not have an effect on blood- or breath-alcohol levels. Furthermore, treatment with Absorbatox™ resulted in an overall significant reduction in central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract symptoms associated with veisalgia, warranting further investigation. Keywords: hangover, clinoptilolite, Absorbatox, alcohol

Multilevel inverters give a near sinusoidal output, thus avoiding the need of a bulky filter in the inverter output. This paper proposes a novel three phase three level multilevel inverter using switched capacitors. The operating frequency is 400Hz, thus enabling its usage in aircraft and aerospace applications. The circuit is simulated using MATLAB Simulink and results are analyzed. A prototype is made and output is verified within limitations.

Inverters are used in wide area of interests including household and industries. But in many aircraft applications, industrial applications and microgrid applications, where a renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic, wind, fuel cells etc are used, the classical three level inverters cannot be used due to polluted sinusoidal output. In order to overcome this difficulty multilevel inverters are proposed. The output of multi level inverters almost follows the sinusoidal waveform. The more the number of levels, the more faithful is the sinusoidal wave. This paper discusses a new three phase step up multilevel inverter. MATLAB simulation of a typical nine level inverter is done and result analysis is presented. Only a single voltage source is used as input. The number of output levels is determined by the number of switched capacitor cells. Only one DC voltage source is used in this topology. Also, different levels can be achieved by cascading repeated blocks. Problems of numerous active switches and thereby the need of complex gating circuitry are avoided in this topology.

Inverters are used in wide area of interests including household and industries. But in many microgrid applications, industrial applications and aircraft applications, where a renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic, wind, fuel cells etc are used, the classical three level inverters cannot be used due to polluted sinusoidal output. To overcome this difficulty multilevel inverters are used. The output of multi level inverters almost follows the sinusoidal waveform. The more the number of levels, the more faithful is the sinusoidal wave. This paper proposes a new three phase step up multilevel inverter. MATLAB simulation of a typical nine level inverter is done and result analysis is presented. Only a single voltage source is used as input. The number of output levels is determined by the number of switched capacitor cells. Also, different levels can be achieved by cascading repeated blocks. Problems of numerous active switches and thereby the need of complex gating circuitry are avoided in this topology.

This research was financially supported by Unique Health Trust and a grant from the South African National Research Foundation (NRF).

To date cancer vaccines have yet to show efficacy in a phase III trial. However, the clinical benefit seen with monoclonal antibody mediated therapies (e.g., Herceptin) has provided proof of principle that immune responses directed against tumour-associated antigens could have therapeutic potential. The failure of past cancer vaccine trials is likely due to several factors including the inappropriate choice of tumour antigen, use of an unoptimised antigen delivery system or vaccination schedule or selection of the wrong patient group. Any one of these variables could potentially result in the induction of an immune response of insufficient magnitude to deliver clinical benefit. Live recombinant viral vaccines have been used in the development of cancer immunotherapy approaches for the past 10 years. Though such vectors are self-adjuvanted and offer the ability to express multiple tumour-associated antigens (TAAs) along with an array of immune co-factors, arguably, they have yet to demonstrate convincing efficacy in pivotal clinical trials. However, in recent years, more coordinated studies have revealed mechanisms to optimise current vectors and have lead to the development of new advantageous vector systems. In this review, we highlight that live recombinant viral vectors provide a versatile and effective antigen delivery system and describe the optimal properties of an effective viral vector. Additionally, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the panel of recombinant viral systems currently available to cancer vaccinologists and how they can work in synergy in heterologous prime boost protocols and with other treatment modalities.

Dendritic cell (DC) immunotherapy for cancer has shown great promise so far. The ability to deliver dendritic cells directly into tumours where they are capable of acquiring tumour antigens prior to stimulating specific T cell responses has been demonstrated both in animal models and human patients. Clinical grade DCs can be grown from peripheral blood monocytes in the absence of foetal calf serum (FCS) and cryopreserved to generate plentiful identical aliquots thus avoiding repeated venesection. However, the approach is still limited by the necessity to return thawed DCs to culture prior to injection. It would be more advantageous to directly inject the DCs whilst still in the freezing medium and thus prevent the need for further manipulation. Whilst several reports have shown that cryopreserved DCs can survive for over 72 h when returned to culture, there is no information regarding the longevity of cells maintained in the freezing medium after thawing. In this report we have shown that DCs may remain in freezing medium for up to 1 h without affecting their survival, phenotype or function. This period of time is sufficient to allow for any delays incurred between the preparation of the DCs and time taken to be administered within a standard clinical setting. This study demonstrates that clinical grade DCs can be cryopreserved and thawed whilst retaining the ability to acquire exogenous antigenic material required for intratumoural immunotherapy. The survival of these cells within the freezing medium without the requirement for re-culture expands their availability for administration directly to the tumours of patients in non-specialist centres that do not have the appropriate facilities for DC re-culture.

Soft tissue sarcomas are rare tumors derived from mesenchymal cells. The histologic diversity of sarcomas is vast, and new discoveries in molecular alterations are enhancing our understanding of soft tissue sarcomas. The majority of sarcomas develop in the extremities and the retroperitoneum. A detailed history and physical exam along with high-quality cross-sectional imaging are important first steps in the workup of a soft tissue sarcoma. Management of sarcomas relies upon a multidisciplinary approach with multiple treatment options including surgery, radiation, and cytotoxic chemotherapy.

The difficulty in identifying project sites for installing new hydel power plants or thermal power plants has given a big push for micro power plants particularly near the loads (DIstributed Generation). The paper proposes the selection a suitable small scale industry, base on a few criteria, which can harness solar energy and convert it to electrical energy. The design which is in-line with the load of the industry is explained and a financial analysis of the proposed system is also shown.

This paper focuses on computational modeling and experimental validation of microstructure evolution in Scanning Laser Epitaxy (SLE), an additive manufacturing technology aimed at the repair and production of turbine engine hot-section components made of for superalloys. A coupled thermal and fluid flow model is developed to simulate the melt pool created by the scanning laser’s heat source. The detailed effects of natural and Marangoni convection on the flow field are studied and the results are analyzed in terms of the temperature gradient, the vorticity parameter, the melt pool dimensions and the mushy region extent. The geometrical parameters and the temperature gradient of the melt pool then are used to estimate the resulting solidification microstructure in alloy CMSX-4 for any given position of the beam. The critical parameter values for columnar-to-equiaxed and the oriented-to-misoriented transitions are identified. The microstructural predictions show excellent agreement with experimental metallography and process observations. This work is sponsored by the US Office of Naval Research through grant N00014-11-1-0670.

Justin John Gandy, Johanna Petronella Meeding, Jacques René Snyman, Constance Elizabeth Jansen van RensburgDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South AfricaBackground: The purpose of this research was to determine the acute and subacute safety and proof-of-concept efficacy of carbohydrate-derived fulvic acid (CHD-FA).Methods: In this double-blind study, 30 male volunteers with predetermined atopy were randomly assigned to either Group A or Group B, each consisting of 15 participants. In part 1 of the study, the groups were administered increasing amounts of CHD-FA, ranging from 5 mL to 40 mL, provided that no adverse events had occurred at the previous dosage. In part 2, Group A participants received 20 mL of 3.8% CHD-FA twice daily for 3 days and were monitored for a week. Because no adverse events occurred, Group B received 40 mL of 3.8% CHD-FA twice daily for a period of 3 days. In part 3, both groups received either 40 mL of 3.8% CHD-FA or placebo twice daily for a period of one week, followed by a one-week washout period before crossover to the alternative treatment schedule. Parameters used to establish safety were electrocardiography, a physical examination, a health questionnaire, and hematology and biochemistry, determined at baseline, during regular calculated intervals, and at the end of each part of the study. A skin prick test was done as part of the screening process and, from the result, the allergen the participant was most allergic to was then selected, along with the positive histamine and negative control to be repeated at the start and end of each respective stage.Results: Safety parameters remained constant throughout the trial. A significant decrease in skin prick test results was observed.Conclusion: No severe adverse events occurred, establishing that CHD-FA to be safe at doses up to 40 mL twice daily for a week and that at this dosage CHD-FA acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. These findings confirm earlier animal data.Keywords: CHD-FA, safety, efficacy, anti-inflammatory

Justin J Gandy, Jacques R Snyman, Constance EJ van RensburgDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South AfricaBackground: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of carbohydrate-derived fulvic acid (CHD-FA) in the treatment of eczema in patients two years and older.Methods: In this single-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group comparative study, 36 volunteers with predetermined eczema were randomly assigned to receive either the study drug or placebo twice daily for four weeks.Results: All safety parameters remained within normal limits, with no significant differences in either group. Significant differences were observed for both severity and erythema in the placebo and CHD-FA treated groups, and a significant difference was observed for scaling in the placebo-treated group. With regard to the investigator assessment of global response to treatment, a significant improvement was observed in the CHD-FA group when compared with the placebo group. A statistically significant decrease in visual analog scale score was observed in both groups, when comparing the baseline with the final results.Conclusion: CHD-FA was well tolerated, with no difference in reported side effects other than a short-lived burning sensation on application. CHD-FA significantly improved some aspects of eczema. Investigator assessment of global response to treatment with CHD-FA was significantly better than that with emollient therapy alone. The results of this small exploratory study suggest that CHD-FA warrants further investigation in the treatment of eczema.Keywords: fulvic acid, eczema, anti-inflammatory, efficacy, safety

This paper describes a design of a reconfigurable computing platform (RCP) based on the Intel Xeon general purpose processor and the Nallatech BenNUEY-PCI-4E field programmable gate array (FPGA) motherboard. The RCP is built to allow users with little or no knowledge of hardware design to program high performance computing applications that utilizes FPGA as the coprocessor. The RCP utilizes Impulse CoDeveloper which is an electronic system level (ESL) design tool that compiles sequential applications/algorithms in C to synthesizable HDL. A customized platform support package (PSP) was developed within the Impulse CoDeveloper environment to enable the Impulse tools to automatically generate the HDL files and C source codes with supported hardware and software interfaces that is targeted for the RCP. The PSP also automates the synthesis and implementation process integration to generate the bitstream file from the Xilinx ISE foundation tool. Finally, the RCP is made accessible within a LAN with the FUSE TCP/IP Server tool.

e20063 Background: Among melanoma patients, prior reports show that groups with lower socioeconomic status (SES) may be diagnosed later. We sought to develop a fuller understanding of the character...

Sentinel lymph nodes provide an excellent opportunity to study early immune responses to cancer. However, harvesting live cells has not previously been possible, because it conflicts with the need to preserve tissue for histological interpretation. This study used scrape cytology on 26 sentinel and 8 non-sentinel nodes, harvested from 17 stage I/II melanoma patients undergoing sentinel node biopsy. Numbers of viable cells harvested before and after cryopreservation were measured and the effect on subsequent histology assessed. The mean number of cells harvested from 26 sentinel nodes was 7.06×106 (range 0.1–32.2), with a mean viability of 99.5% (range 87–100, lower 95% CI 98.5%). Furthermore, counts and viabilities were well maintained after cryopreservation. Flow cytometry confirmed CD3+, CD20+ and lineage-1−/HLA-DR+ subpopulations, consistent with T-lymphocytes, B-lymphocytes and dendritic cells, respectively. Importantly, there was no discernible change in histological detail and the proportion of positive sentinel nodes remained unchanged. This technique will allow more functional and quantitative approaches to sentinel lymph node research.

175 Background: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cells shed into circulation from tumors. They are increasingly recognized to be important biomarkers of disease burden in patients with solid tumors. Studies in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) have been limited due in part to low sensitivity of existing assays with extremely low numbers detected (0-15 per 7.5-15ml of blood). The development of newer microfluidic platforms has resulted in the ability to detect substantially greater numbers of CTCs. Methods: 15 patients with PDAC were enrolled in an IRB-approved study. Blood was collected in EDTA tubes and processed within 3 hours. CTCs were selected from 2-3ml of whole blood using monoclonal antibodies against epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) and enumerated using a novel microfluidic platform. CTCs were confirmed by DAPI, CK8/18/19 and CD45 staining. Results: Patients with metastatic disease (n=12) had a mean of 29.7, median of 22 (3.5-107) CTCs per 1ml of blood. Patients with localized disease (n=3) had a mean of 3.8, median of 2.9 (2.3-6.2) CTCs per 1ml of blood. 0.5-1 CTCs per 1ml were detected in normal controls (n=2). The number of CTCs was significantly different between localized, metastatic and normal patients (p=0.01). 1 patient, initially thought to have localized disease by standard imaging but found to be metastatic at time of operation, had a mean of 45.9 CTCs per 1ml of blood compared to a mean of 3.8 CTCs per 1ml in patients who underwent a curative resection (p=0.009). Conclusions: Studies of CTCs in PDAC have been very limited. Our ability to detect large numbers of CTCs with good dynamic range suggests that further investigation into CTCs as a prognostic marker in PDAC is warranted. This is the first study that we are aware of to find CTCs in patients with localized disease. The presence of CTCs in patients with localized PDAC is surprising and may be associated with findings of unexpected metastatic disease at surgery. Further follow-up will be needed to determine if the presence of CTCs in these patients is a harbinger of shorter progression-free survival and overall survival after curative operations.

444 Background: It is well known that KRAS mutations limit the efficacy of anti-EGFR therapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However the role of KRAS mutations in patients who undergo a curative liver resection for mCRC is less clear. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the relationship between KRAS mutation status and survival in this patient population. Methods: We examined an IRB approved tissue repository and retrospective database of 129 patients from 1998-2010 who underwent curative liver resection for mCRC. Tumors were sequenced for KRAS codons 12, 13, and 61 mutations using pyrosequencing. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazards regression method. Results: The median follow-up for our cohort was 20.4mo (0.4-112). Mean age was 61.4±12.3. Prior to surgical resection 55 (43%) patients received chemotherapy. 35 (27%) tumors were KRAS mutant (mt), 83 (64%) were wild-type (wt), and 11 (9%) were not characterized. Median OS for KRAS wt patients was 40.3mo vs. 27.1mo for KRAS mt patients (p=0.046). Median DFS for KRAS wt was 13.6mo vs. 7.7mo for KRAS mt patients (p=0.037). 8 patients received cetuximab post–operatively. Cetuximab status was unknown in 50 patients. When we excluded those treated with cetuximab, the median OS was 40mo for KRAS wt vs. 25mo for KRAS mt patients (p=0.007). There were no differences in OS or DFS in patients who received cetuximab (p=0.7). In a multivariable model with pre-operative chemotherapy (p=0.2), extent of resection (p=0.053), and cetuximab therapy (p=0.7), the presence of KRAS mutation was independently associated with poor prognosis (HR=2.7 [1.3-5.5]). Conclusions: In patients undergoing curative liver resection for mCRC, KRAS mutation status is independently predictive of a worse outcome regardless of cetuximab therapy. KRAS status may be associated with more aggressive tumor biology. Our data supports the critical need to define KRAS mutation status and to develop therapies against KRAS and its downstream effectors.

A normally-white LC design has been developed for use with an all digital backplane LCoS imager. We detail the optimizations to enhance static and dynamic performance in an LCoS projection engine. Drive voltage, contrast, efficiency and dynamic response have all been optimized. Optimization details are described and results are presented.